I have read several articles about looming famines later this year or next year as a consequence of the war in Ukraine (less wheat and less fertilizer exports) and possible droughts. I and other people raising money for EA-aligned charities (I'm running Effektiv Spenden) will be asked where to donate to fight this catastrophe. Maybe the "right" answer will still be that bednets, but most people won't follow that advise (I'm talking about 99.9% of people from outside of the EA-community). Any ideas on how to prepare an answer with a higher potential of engaging people with effective giving?
Thanks for raising this question!
Undernourishment (not getting enough and the right types of caloric intake, a subset of malnutrition) is a massive issue currently, affecting 660 million people; especially in children,[1] it can have significant long-term health sequelae e.g. stunting. And you are right, as a consequence of the war in Ukraine, it is likely to get worse.
Although cash transfers do have a positive impact on degree and rates of undernourishment, it likely isn't the most directly cost-effective way of addressing this issue.[2]
There are a couple things that we could do (disclaimer: have read about this area before, spent 10 minutes on this):
More info on the Our World in Data page on undernourishment
There is mixed evidence here. Some studies have shown it to be reasonably cost-effective (e.g. this one in Pakistan, but this one in Burkina Faso did not)
Directly from Aid Forum: http://www.aidforum.org/topics/food-security/four-ways-to-reduce-malnutrition/